It's estimated that there are 70 million deaf people in the world, roughly 95 percentages of whom are functionally illiterate, namely, unable to read or write; there are 400 sign languages; only 20 of the world's 400 sign languages have some form of Bible content available; about 98% of the worldwide population of deaf people have never encountered the real Jesus. In a nutshell: nobody teaches them.
After nearly four decades, the first complete Bible has been available in American Sign Language for those in the deaf community to own a Bible in their heart language the first time. Still, any project on recording the entire Bible in sign language has not started in China.
There is still much work to be done for the deaf ministry.
The second year after my mother became a Christian, she was ordained as a village pastor for her high school education. She has been what she could do to serve the church at the same age of 70.
Influenced by God's older generation servants who were faithful and denied themselves for Him, I vowed to become a full-time pastor before God at my young age. However, the reluctance to serve as a vocational pastor grew stronger inside me as I get older with increased income. But the Lord did not forget our covenant. In early 2014, I was called again to full-time ministry after a retreat. This time I did not put out the Holy Spirit's fire. I resigned from my job and prepared for a seminary entrance exam at home, aged 32.
Starting in the deaf ministry
Once I missed a church's Bible study due to a travel jam, but later a worship service for the deaf fellowship started.
Aware of the unique fellowship's existence, I attended the first-ever worship for the deaf in my life. Since then, I could stay with the deaf believers for their worship after hearing the Bible study. There was a professional translator who interpreted sermons in sign language into spoken Mandarin for ordinary people.
Hearing many sermons translated, I realized that their preaching was very shallow, explaining the meaning of words and phrases most of the time. There had been very little time spent on the truth of salvation.
Every day, the believers told me that most deaf people could not read Chinese characters. Their reading and comprehension skills were equal to the third level of normal primary school pupils, let alone in the early years of less-educated deaf individuals. In the second or third grades, many of them dropped out of deaf schools, so patience was needed to mentor them.
Hearing their explanation, I believed the deaf ministry was quite tricky, mainly hard in the lack of workers. Compared to 27 million deaf people across the country, the number of related ministry staff does not exceed 1,000, including fewer than 500 specialists.
I wondered why God had placed me in a church equipped with a mature deaf ministry and why I knew it. I wanted to join him. But before I took real action, there were several challenges. The hymns that moved me to tears, expressed in sign language, no longer struck me; I failed to find related expressions in prayers; the most challenging moment was the sermon part in which I felt not well-fed. God said to me, "The Lord will satisfy you all needs" through a sister who has been in ministry for years.
The simple word dispelled all my fears. In September 2014, I was enrolled in the Heilongjiang Theological Seminary special education department. Four-year campus life has helped me improve my sign language skills and understand more about their culture and ministries. It wasn't even close enough. Well, I just started.
The beginning of virtual ministries for the deaf
After graduation from the seminary, I moved to my hometown, where there was no deaf ministry.
My hometown is the county seat with subordinate rural areas. In the first year, we went to villages with laptops, preaching the Sunday sermons to rural deaf people. Owing to the long-distance and low transportation, our every visit only covered two towns, while most of the time we were waiting or on the bus.
It was unrealistic for me alone to teach them the Bible as more deaf people in the countryside would come to Christ. Mature co-workers would not be developed in short terms because ordinary people would be trained for three to five years. The virtual pastoral ministry came to our mind.
At first, a series of high-quality gospel cartoons were sent to rural deaf believers while being uploaded on the Internet to be shared with others. It won some hundred clicks in a single day. What was more, many pastors of deaf churches were eager to communicate with me. Through them, I learned that they were poor at sign language, computers, or even theologically trained. I suddenly had a burden for them.
Knowing my efforts incapable of the task, I contacted a seminary classmate who is quite excellent at sign language. I am good at computers while she was awkward at it. We reached a consense that she was responsible for recording sign language preaching. I was in charge of production. We spent half a year making diverse-form videos of Genesis (sign language coupled with words and pictures) circulated among deaf ministry pastors nationwide. Relevant PowerPoint presentations were provided for those pastors who were unable to do exegesis. They received positive feedback.
Deaf ministries require more energies
Online deaf ministries are much more disturbing than we can imagine. Workers need to learn about network operation and video editing. Our online ministry, which has been in place for one year, has studied many methods and approaches suitable for the virtually pastoral care of the deaf.
We are preparing to buy smart TVs that will be distributed to villages where people are deaf. They will go to local churches on Sundays and, via live broadcasts, they can worship with us. In online worship, we also hope to unite with other deaf churches. The biggest problem is that time is limited. My classmate, who has been invited to join other ministries, barely has time to make filmed videos.
For the hearing staff that serve the deaf, this is often a common concern. Church leaders consider the corresponding workload of the ministry to be the number of relevant believers. Co-workers are also assigned to other ministries. I used to serve both the deaf and ordinary believers. Objectively speaking, a deaf ministry needs severalfold time and energy than a regular church.
So I would like to urge every worker to be full-time committed to deaf ministries as we have limited energies. I recommend every church leader not to allocate other typical ministries to those who work for the deaf.
If possible, I appeal to pastors to support mature deaf churches or fellowship workers to subordinate towns and surrounding areas. So many deaf people do not have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
I also encourage my fellow workers not to replace in-person ministries with virtual ones as the former is only the supplementary means. Sincere love for each other and life influence can be realized better in real life.
In the end, I call on my dear brothers, sisters, and fellow workers to enter more closely into deaf ministries so that the grace of the "Ephphatha" performed by the Lord Jesus may fall upon every deaf person through us.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
据统计，全世界有7000万聋人，约95%的聋人属于功能性文盲，也就是看不懂文字；全球有400种手语，只有20种提供了某种形式上的圣经内容，且大多都是琐碎不成系统的；全世界有98%的聋人从未真正遇见过耶稣，归根结底一句话：没有人教导他们。
美国用40年的时间完成了美国版手语圣经的录制，使美国聋人终于有了自己的母语圣经，而截至目前，我国还没有开展中国版手语圣经的录制工作。聋人事工任重道远。
母亲信主第二年，便因为读过高中被任命为乡村传道人，如今已70岁的高龄，还在教会做些力所能及的服事。从小耳濡目染上一代神仆们的忠心与舍己，青年时期，我便正式在神面前立下志愿，以后要做一名全职传道人。可是随着年龄的增长以及收入的增加，我潜意识里却越来越不想成为全职传道人，觉得实在太清贫了。然而主没有忘记我们之间的盟约，2014年初，在一次培灵学习后我再次被神呼召成为全职传道人，这一次，我没有消灭圣灵的感动，而是坚定地辞去工作，在家全心备考神学院。那一年我32岁。
初涉聋人事工
有一次，我去参加查经会的路上严重堵车，赶到教会时查经已经结束，我遗憾地坐在椅子上舍不得离开。不一会，陆陆续续来了一些特殊的弟兄姊妹，他们各个脸上洋溢着幸福的笑容，彼此间用手语进行交流，原来接下来是聋人团契的敬拜时间。虽然之前就知道教会有聋人团契，但一直都没有机会接触，这次近距离的接触，使我内心充满了好奇，于是参加了人生中的第一场聋人敬拜。
此后，每次参加完查经会，我都会留下来和聋人一起敬拜。他们有专门的翻译，把手语证道信息翻译成口语，给团契里的听人听。听得多了，我发现聋人的证道内容非常浅显，并且大部分时间都用在解释字词上，真正分享救恩真理的时间少之又少。当我把自己的感受和团契里的听人分享后，她们告诉我，聋人大部分都是看不懂汉字的，即便中学毕业，阅读能力、理解能力也不会超过听人小学三年级的水平，更何况早年聋人的受教育程度普遍偏低，很多只读到聋校二三年级就辍学了，所以牧养聋人急不得，要像教小孩子一样从长计议。
听完同工的分享，我觉得聋人事工太不容易了，最主要的是这一领域中的工人极缺。全国有2700万聋人，而全国从事聋人事工的工人不超过1000人，其中受过专业装备的不超过500人。
我开始思考上帝让我委身在一间有如此成熟的聋人事工的教会，并且了解到这些现状，是什么用意呢?心里开始有点想要加入其中。从产生这个想法到真正落实，期间有过很多挣扎。主要是不习惯手语表达，平时一听就会感动流泪的诗歌，经过手语一表达，什么感觉都没有了；祷告时，想说的话大部分在手语世界里是找不到对应的手势；最让我痛苦的是听道环节，每次听道都感觉不到饱足，连隔靴搔痒都达不到。神藉着一位已经服事聋人多年的姐姐对我说：“这一切，主都能亲自满足你”。只一句简单的话，便打消了我所有的顾虑，于是，2014年9月，我成为了黑龙江神学院特殊教育系（聋人方向）的一名新生。
四年的在校生活，每天和聋人学习吃住在一起，我的手语比入学前有了很大的提高，我对聋人文化以及聋人事工的发展也有了一定的了解。但这还远远不够，只能算正式入门了。
开始聋人网络事工
毕业后，我没有留在原来的城市，因为那里的聋人事工已经很成熟，而老家的聋人还没有机会听到福音。
老家是县城，涉及到下属乡村聋人的牧养工作，基本上每个村屯都会有一到两名聋人。第一年我们每周下乡一次，带着电脑，把在主日宣讲的内容，再对乡下聋人讲一遍。可是由于路途遥远且交通不便，每次下乡最多只能走访两个村屯，大部分时间都用在坐车等车上了。这样下去不是长久之计，未来会有更多的乡下聋人信主，单靠我一个人根本教不过来，而短期内培养出成熟的同工也很不现实。
前面提到过，一个听人三五年的专业学习，只能算是入门，更何况大多数听人只愿意在物质方面帮助聋人，至于灵性牧养方面，愿意为此去装备学习的听人目前还少之又少。培养聋人同工，则需更漫长的过程，尤其是县城里的聋人认识的字很少，“马上”会理解成“马背上”，“开动脑筋”会理解成“把脑袋劈开”，要想把这样的聋人培养成传道同工，没有十年以上的工夫是想都不敢想的事。
短期内不可能有同工，乡下聋人又不能放任不管，于是我们想到了网络牧养。最初，我们把一套优质的福音动画给乡下聋人信徒看（将繁体字幕改为简体），同时上传到网络上，分享给其他有需要的聋人。结果发出一天，就意外地收获几百次的浏览量，不少聋人教会的传道人添加我的微信进行交流，他们中有听人也有聋人。通过交流，我了解到很多从事聋人事工的同工们，或是手语不好，或是不擅长用电脑，或是没有机会进行神学装备，我一下对他们产生了很大的负担。
可我知道以我一已之力是无法完成这项托付的，于是联系到我神学院的同学，她的手语非常娴熟，因为她姐姐就是聋人。可她电脑操作不熟练，而这正是我的强项，沟通之后我们达成共识，她负责手语录制，我负责后期制作，就这样开启了我们之间跨教会性的联合事工。我们先用了大半年时间把《创世记》做成以手语、文字、图片多元形式呈现的视频，分享给全国各地从事聋人事工的传道人。同时提供与视频内容相符的PPT课件，让那些无法独立解经的传道人们先透过视频明白经文内容，再用我们提供的PPT做辅助去教导本堂的聋人。这套视频和课件的反馈非常好。
聋人事工需要投入更多精力
开展聋人网络事工，远比我们预想的要麻烦得多，并且还要不断去学习一些关于网络运营、视频剪辑等方面的知识，但看到有那么多聋人传道员透过我们的服事有所收获，我们就觉得一切的辛苦都是值得的。
现在，我们已经开展聋人网络事工一年了，研究出很多适合网络牧养聋人的方式方法。我们计划接下来购买一批智能电视，投放到有聋人的村子里去，放置在听人教会或片点内，每到主日，让聋人去到本地教会，通过网络直播和我们一起敬拜。我们也想和其他优秀的聋人教会进行网络联合敬拜，让每一间教会的聋人信徒都能得到更多更优质的牧养。
开展聋人网络事工最难协调的是时间问题，因为和我合作的同学除了繁重的聋人事工外，还被牧者要求参与一些听人事工，很难抽出足够的时间用于视频录制。这也是很多服事聋人的听人同工普遍会遇到的问题，教会领袖习惯性认为事工量的多少与信徒数量的多少成正比，聋人信徒数量少事工量肯定也少，因此常把一些听人事工硬加在服事聋人的同工身上。之前我也是聋人、听人双服事，很客观地说，服事聋人所需要的时间与精力是服事听人的好几倍。
所以我想呼吁各位同工，如果可以，请尽量全职委身于聋人事工，因为人的精力毕竟是有限的；也恳请各位领袖，如果您的教会已经开展了聋人事工，请尽量不要把过多的听人事工分配给服事聋人的同工去做，虽然听人事工也可能面临工人的缺乏，但和聋人事工的缺乏程度是无法相比的。有少数成熟的聋人教会（或团契）工人多，他们在完成聋人事工后还有空闲时间，如果可以，请各位牧者支持他们去到下属城镇或周围地区开展聋人事工，毕竟还有太多太多地区的聋人还没有机会听到福音，网络上相关领域的空白，也急需有人去填补。
我也要劝勉各位同工同道，万不可以网络牧养代替实体牧养，它只能作为实体牧养的辅助手段，切实的彼此相爱、生命影响生命，还要靠现实生活中的接触才能更好地实现。
最后，诚挚地呼吁亲爱的弟兄姊妹、同工同道们，多多去了解聋人事工、参与聋人事工，让主耶稣当年“以法大”的恩典，透过我们临到每一位聋人身上。
善用网络事工 助力聋人牧养——一朵聋人事工后浪的成长历程
It's estimated that there are 70 million deaf people in the world, roughly 95 percentages of whom are functionally illiterate, namely, unable to read or write; there are 400 sign languages; only 20 of the world's 400 sign languages have some form of Bible content available; about 98% of the worldwide population of deaf people have never encountered the real Jesus. In a nutshell: nobody teaches them.
After nearly four decades, the first complete Bible has been available in American Sign Language for those in the deaf community to own a Bible in their heart language the first time. Still, any project on recording the entire Bible in sign language has not started in China.
There is still much work to be done for the deaf ministry.
The second year after my mother became a Christian, she was ordained as a village pastor for her high school education. She has been what she could do to serve the church at the same age of 70.
Influenced by God's older generation servants who were faithful and denied themselves for Him, I vowed to become a full-time pastor before God at my young age. However, the reluctance to serve as a vocational pastor grew stronger inside me as I get older with increased income. But the Lord did not forget our covenant. In early 2014, I was called again to full-time ministry after a retreat. This time I did not put out the Holy Spirit's fire. I resigned from my job and prepared for a seminary entrance exam at home, aged 32.
Starting in the deaf ministry
Once I missed a church's Bible study due to a travel jam, but later a worship service for the deaf fellowship started.
Aware of the unique fellowship's existence, I attended the first-ever worship for the deaf in my life. Since then, I could stay with the deaf believers for their worship after hearing the Bible study. There was a professional translator who interpreted sermons in sign language into spoken Mandarin for ordinary people.
Hearing many sermons translated, I realized that their preaching was very shallow, explaining the meaning of words and phrases most of the time. There had been very little time spent on the truth of salvation.
Every day, the believers told me that most deaf people could not read Chinese characters. Their reading and comprehension skills were equal to the third level of normal primary school pupils, let alone in the early years of less-educated deaf individuals. In the second or third grades, many of them dropped out of deaf schools, so patience was needed to mentor them.
Hearing their explanation, I believed the deaf ministry was quite tricky, mainly hard in the lack of workers. Compared to 27 million deaf people across the country, the number of related ministry staff does not exceed 1,000, including fewer than 500 specialists.
I wondered why God had placed me in a church equipped with a mature deaf ministry and why I knew it. I wanted to join him. But before I took real action, there were several challenges. The hymns that moved me to tears, expressed in sign language, no longer struck me; I failed to find related expressions in prayers; the most challenging moment was the sermon part in which I felt not well-fed. God said to me, "The Lord will satisfy you all needs" through a sister who has been in ministry for years.
The simple word dispelled all my fears. In September 2014, I was enrolled in the Heilongjiang Theological Seminary special education department. Four-year campus life has helped me improve my sign language skills and understand more about their culture and ministries. It wasn't even close enough. Well, I just started.
The beginning of virtual ministries for the deaf
After graduation from the seminary, I moved to my hometown, where there was no deaf ministry.
My hometown is the county seat with subordinate rural areas. In the first year, we went to villages with laptops, preaching the Sunday sermons to rural deaf people. Owing to the long-distance and low transportation, our every visit only covered two towns, while most of the time we were waiting or on the bus.
It was unrealistic for me alone to teach them the Bible as more deaf people in the countryside would come to Christ. Mature co-workers would not be developed in short terms because ordinary people would be trained for three to five years. The virtual pastoral ministry came to our mind.
At first, a series of high-quality gospel cartoons were sent to rural deaf believers while being uploaded on the Internet to be shared with others. It won some hundred clicks in a single day. What was more, many pastors of deaf churches were eager to communicate with me. Through them, I learned that they were poor at sign language, computers, or even theologically trained. I suddenly had a burden for them.
Knowing my efforts incapable of the task, I contacted a seminary classmate who is quite excellent at sign language. I am good at computers while she was awkward at it. We reached a consense that she was responsible for recording sign language preaching. I was in charge of production. We spent half a year making diverse-form videos of Genesis (sign language coupled with words and pictures) circulated among deaf ministry pastors nationwide. Relevant PowerPoint presentations were provided for those pastors who were unable to do exegesis. They received positive feedback.
Deaf ministries require more energies
Online deaf ministries are much more disturbing than we can imagine. Workers need to learn about network operation and video editing. Our online ministry, which has been in place for one year, has studied many methods and approaches suitable for the virtually pastoral care of the deaf.
We are preparing to buy smart TVs that will be distributed to villages where people are deaf. They will go to local churches on Sundays and, via live broadcasts, they can worship with us. In online worship, we also hope to unite with other deaf churches. The biggest problem is that time is limited. My classmate, who has been invited to join other ministries, barely has time to make filmed videos.
For the hearing staff that serve the deaf, this is often a common concern. Church leaders consider the corresponding workload of the ministry to be the number of relevant believers. Co-workers are also assigned to other ministries. I used to serve both the deaf and ordinary believers. Objectively speaking, a deaf ministry needs severalfold time and energy than a regular church.
So I would like to urge every worker to be full-time committed to deaf ministries as we have limited energies. I recommend every church leader not to allocate other typical ministries to those who work for the deaf.
If possible, I appeal to pastors to support mature deaf churches or fellowship workers to subordinate towns and surrounding areas. So many deaf people do not have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
I also encourage my fellow workers not to replace in-person ministries with virtual ones as the former is only the supplementary means. Sincere love for each other and life influence can be realized better in real life.
In the end, I call on my dear brothers, sisters, and fellow workers to enter more closely into deaf ministries so that the grace of the "Ephphatha" performed by the Lord Jesus may fall upon every deaf person through us.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
Understaffed, Online Deaf Ministry Reaches Out to Mass People
